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From Sci-Fi Wire:
Star Trek to Get Upgraded
The original 1960s Star Trek series will receive a high-tech makeover and return to broadcast syndication for the first time in 16 years, with digitally remastered episodes, Paramount announced. In honor of the show's 40th anniversary, CBS Domestic Television is releasing all 79 episodes with new special effects and music on 200 stations, beginning Sept. 16. The first batch of episodes will be chosen from a list of fan favorites.
The original special effects will be replaced with computer-generated images, including the exterior of the Starship Enterprise, based on the exact measurements of the original model, now resting in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The main title sequence will also be redone with new effects and a new digital stereo soundtrack re-recorded by an orchestra and a female singer. William Shatner's classic original recording of the 38-word "Space, the final frontier ..." monologue has been remastered and continues to open each episode.
All of the space scenes, alien landscapes and ships—including the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers—will be updated as well. The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a high-definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture, even when viewed in standard definition.
My POV: I remember a few years back when an ambitious special effects company posted a video on their website, showing the classic battle between the Enterprise and the Doomsday Machine re-done with CGI effects. It looked nice, but was ultimately pointless. What sold that episode was the tension in Sturgeon's writing, not spiffy effects.
The same goes for now. It's a nice effort, but what's the point really? If George Lucas taught us anything by his endless re-tweaking of the original Star Wars trilogy, it's that sticking new effects onto an old film only serves as a distraction, not an enhancement to the story.
Star Trek to Get Upgraded
The original 1960s Star Trek series will receive a high-tech makeover and return to broadcast syndication for the first time in 16 years, with digitally remastered episodes, Paramount announced. In honor of the show's 40th anniversary, CBS Domestic Television is releasing all 79 episodes with new special effects and music on 200 stations, beginning Sept. 16. The first batch of episodes will be chosen from a list of fan favorites.
The original special effects will be replaced with computer-generated images, including the exterior of the Starship Enterprise, based on the exact measurements of the original model, now resting in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The main title sequence will also be redone with new effects and a new digital stereo soundtrack re-recorded by an orchestra and a female singer. William Shatner's classic original recording of the 38-word "Space, the final frontier ..." monologue has been remastered and continues to open each episode.
All of the space scenes, alien landscapes and ships—including the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers—will be updated as well. The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a high-definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture, even when viewed in standard definition.
My POV: I remember a few years back when an ambitious special effects company posted a video on their website, showing the classic battle between the Enterprise and the Doomsday Machine re-done with CGI effects. It looked nice, but was ultimately pointless. What sold that episode was the tension in Sturgeon's writing, not spiffy effects.
The same goes for now. It's a nice effort, but what's the point really? If George Lucas taught us anything by his endless re-tweaking of the original Star Wars trilogy, it's that sticking new effects onto an old film only serves as a distraction, not an enhancement to the story.
